Our neighbor boy will be doggie sitting!

[disneydreamersx4]

He's 12 and has a dog of his own and has seen our dog on walks since we got him (January). Our dog is 1yr.
We'll be gone for the weekend (fri-sun). The neighbor boy came over today so we could show him where the food/treats are and talk about dog's routine. We're going to leave instructions for walking. Neighbor boy will walk him 4 times a day. Our dog is really good when left alone a few times we have left him 10 hours, never chews furniture. I just hope our dog won't miss having someone there at night with him for the three days. We always leave lite music on when we go out. Oh, and we still crate him at night, he loves his crate, goes in there many times a day all by himself. If we're going away for longer than 3 days we decided we would kennel him.

Have you ever had a doggie sitter like this situation for 3 days? Do you have any tips you could share?

 

[Imzadi]

Have you had him take the dog for an actual walk yet? I don't think the first time should be while you are away. If there are potential problems, you want to figure them out now, not get a phone call while you are away & can't do anything about it.

 

[AKL_Megs]

He's 12 and has a dog of his own and has seen our dog on walks since we got him (January). Our dog is 1yr.
We'll be gone for the weekend (fri-sun). The neighbor boy came over today so we could show him where the food/treats are and talk about dog's routine. We're going to leave instructions for walking. Neighbor boy will walk him 4 times a day. Our dog is really good when left alone a few times we have left him 10 hours, never chews furniture. I just hope our dog won't miss having someone there at night with him for the three days. Oh, and we still crate him at night, he loves his crate, goes in there many times a day all by himself. If we're going away for longer than 3 days we decided we would kennel him.

Have you ever had a doggie sitter like this situation for 3 days?

We WERE the "doggie sitters" for our neighbor last month... Almost exact same situation. The "doggies" we watched are actually PUPPIES, yes, TWO of them.

Anyways, they also love their crate and are used to it. They did fine each day and night.

May I recommend a late night walk... As late as the boys parents will allow. We took the pups for a long 9pm walk each night, and they were OUT before we even had a chance to shut the lights off!

 

[disneydreamersx4]

Thank you for the replies!!

Great suggestions to have the boy walk him before we leave! And a late night walk

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I don't know that a 12 year old should be out walking late at night alone.

 

[disneydreamersx4]

I'm not saying nothing would happen, but we live in a townhome community so not too many "outsiders" at night. I think 9pm would be ok, it just turns dark about 8:45. I"m going to ask the boy if he and his mom are going to do the last walk of the night together with their dog. Thanks for bringing up that concern.

 

[Imzadi]

Oh, when you ask him to take the dog on a practice run, present it as though you want the dog to have a chance to get comfortable walking with him while you are still home, not that you don't believe in the boy's abilities.

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

I'd suggest calling the first day to make sure everything's okay -- and that he remembered it's the start day! We had a neighbor girl watch our dog once. I called the second day -- and it was clear she'd completely and totally forgotten!

As it was, it was just the kids and I who were away, but hubby was gone during the day for over 12 hours. So he was there that night (very late) -- but at least the poor dog got out!

The next time we went away -- and hubby came, too -- we got a neighborhood boy to watch the dog instead. He was a gem. We called to be sure he remembered, though!

 

[PatsGirl]

Sounds like a win-win-win for you, your pet and your neighbor boy.

 

[indimom]

Well, our pets are ferrets, but we've used neighbor kids to care for them while on vacations. So, the only additional advice I have is:
Treat this like you would a sitter for your children. Provide several contact numbers other than your own: Do you have family in the area who could come in an emergency, like if your dog got sick? And/Or leave your vet info, just in case. Always err on the side of caution and leave MORE information/contacts than they will need.
I agree with other posters about a trial run on the walking and trying to have a late walk before your dog is crated for the night. Sound like very good advice.
Have a good trip!

 

[claudia]

He's 12 and has a dog of his own and has seen our dog on walks since we got him (January). Our dog is 1yr.
We'll be gone for the weekend (fri-sun). The neighbor boy came over today so we could show him where the food/treats are and talk about dog's routine. We're going to leave instructions for walking. Neighbor boy will walk him 4 times a day. Our dog is really good when left alone a few times we have left him 10 hours, never chews furniture. I just hope our dog won't miss having someone there at night with him for the three days. We always leave lite music on when we go out. Oh, and we still crate him at night, he loves his crate, goes in there many times a day all by himself. If we're going away for longer than 3 days we decided we would kennel him.

Have you ever had a doggie sitter like this situation for 3 days? Do you have any tips you could share?

We have our neighbor take care of our dog and cat when we are away, he is 14. He comes 3x a day and both our pets do fine with him....he does like to stay a bit and play with them. He's great as he will call the day before/or stop by to confirm the dates with us.
I made a print out of instructions for feeding/caring, along with our cell phone numbers and vet number and paste that to the cabinet door for him. Also, we leave cleaning supplies (bucket, mop, paper towels, etc) out just in case there is an accident. We do portion out the dry food for our dog in serving sizes, so he only has to measure the canned food for our cat. He has cared for them for a weeks vacation a few times and there has never been a problem.

 

[Rora]

Treat this like you would a sitter for your children. Provide several contact numbers other than your own: Do you have family in the area who could come in an emergency, like if your dog got sick? And/Or leave your vet info, just in case. Always err on the side of caution and leave MORE information/contacts than they will need.
I agree with other posters about a trial run on the walking and trying to have a late walk before your dog is crated for the night. Sound like very good advice.
Have a good trip!

This is great advice.

I recently pet sat for a friend of my mom's. She left contact numbers for her friend who I could call if something was wrong with the house, or if I simply needed something. She left a number for her vet and for an emergency vet clinic. I would do the same for your pet sitter.

It sounds like everything is under control and ready to go! Have a great trip!

 

[golfgal]

Is your dog microchipped or at least have a collar with a name and phone number on it? If the dog runs on him, at least this would give you a chance to find the dog. When we have our neighbor girl watch our dog we have her come in through our back door-where our dog has a dog door and a fenced yard so she can't run away (which she would do).